The Green Grasses.
'The bare earth, till then
Desert and bare, unsightly, unadorn'd,
Brought forth the tender grass, whose verdure clad
Her universal face with pleasant green.'
One of our poets incidentally remarks,—
'There are nettles everywhere,
But the smooth green grasses are more common still;
an assertion which observation soon verifies. Wherever there is waste, uncultivated ground, though but the narrowest strip or ledge of unproductive soil, a fertile growth of briars, nettles, and thistles,—of thorny, prickly, or stinging plants, speedily appears; and, if not held in check, so rapidly increases as soon to overpower the harmless and lovely wild flowers that have arisen beside them. But, however abundant this noxious form of vegetation may be, how small a portion of the earth does it occupy in comparison with the undulating downs, the spacious meadow-lands and broad pastures, the commons, parks, and lawns that are overspread with rich carpetings of soft
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